Thirteen other students and I came to Italy to study archaeology in a small town called Monteleone Sabino. Here, we studied an ancient group of people known as the Sabines. The Sabines were located in central Italy and had a flourishing community before Roman conquest under Marcus Aurelius.

The Sabines had an amphitheater built that was meant to attract people from the mountain towns to come and see spectacles and gladiator fights. The amphitheater, dating from the first century B.C., was revamped under Emperor Trajan. Located nearby was a forum, shops and a church.

The Sabines are known to have worshipped two goddesses, Feronia and Vacuna. Inscriptions found in the site known as Trebula Mutuesca were found to the worshiping of these goddesses. The complex water drainage systems found in the amphitheater and nearby are impressive for their time as well.

In our work, we dug in two trenches. The one I worked in was by the amphitheater, and we dug up many artifacts and learned to find the significance of them.

On our dinners and free days, we spent all of our time immersed in Italian culture and hospitality. We had most of our meals in the small province of Rieti, and were met with many warm welcomes from the locals. The experience was extremely enriching educationally and culturally.

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Learn more about this blogger’s study abroad program: Global Research: Archaeological Field School in Italy